NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University Medical Center has turned over medical data for transgender sufferers to the Tennessee lawyer common’s group in what his workplace confirmed is an investigation into potential medical billing fraud.

A Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson confirmed to The Tennessean on Tuesday that the hospital offered the data to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s workplace.

In a state that has moved to ban gender-affirming take care of transgender youth, the revelation that their data had been handed over to the state spurred worry for some households - regardless of assurances from the lawyer common’s workplace that the data would stay confidential and that sufferers aren’t the goal of the investigation.

The state ban doesn’t take impact till July 1, and it's being challenged in federal court docket by the U.S. Department of Justice and others.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson John Howser mentioned the lawyer common’s workplace requested details about transgender care at VUMC.

“The Tennessee Attorney General has legal authority in an investigation to require that VUMC provide complete copies of patient medical records that are relevant to its investigation. VUMC was obligated to comply and did so,” Howser mentioned in a press release.

Brandon Smith, the lawyer common’s chief of workers, advised The Tennessean that the workplace “maintains patient records in the strictest confidence, as required by law” and that the investigation is concentrated “solely on VUMC and certain related providers, not patients.” He mentioned the workplace has been investigating potential medical billing fraud by the hospital and associated suppliers since September 2022. The hospital started offering affected person data to the workplace in December 2022, Smith mentioned.

The lawyer common can request affected person well being data beneath federal and state legislation if the workplace is investigating a potential difficulty on the hospital, Paul Hales, a St. Louis-based lawyer who makes a speciality of well being info privateness, advised the newspaper.

Chris Sanders, government director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group named the Tennessee Equality Project, advised The Tennessean three completely different mother and father of transgender youngsters contacted him Monday after Vanderbilt knowledgeable them concerning the launch of the data to the lawyer common.

“They’re terrified,” he advised the newspaper. “They don’t know what’s next, they don’t know how this will be used or whether they will be targeted in some way. They feel like their privacy has been violated.”

On Tuesday, Smith, the lawyer common’s chief of workers, mentioned Vanderbilt had “deliberately chosen to frighten its patients” about offering the data.

Smith mentioned the workplace “does not publicize fraud investigations to preserve the integrity of the investigative process.”

Tennessee specifically has been caught within the heart of the battle over transgender youth medical care - ever since video surfaced on social media final 12 months of a Nashville physician touting that gender-affirming procedures are “huge money makers” for hospitals. Vanderbilt paused all gender-affirming surgical procedures for minors afterward.

The video prompted calls by Tennessee’s Republican leaders for an investigation into Vanderbilt. At the time, not one of the politicians may level to a selected legislation that the hospital had violated.

The non-public nonprofit hospital mentioned it had offered solely a handful of gender-affirming surgical procedures to minors through the years, however has put a brief pause on the procedures to evaluation its insurance policies.

On common, Vanderbilt has mentioned it offered 5 gender-affirming surgical procedures to minors yearly since its transgender clinic opened in 2018. All had been over the age of 16 and had parental consent, and none acquired genital procedures.

Meanwhile, Tennessee’s new ban on gender-affirming take care of transgender youth will take impact in lower than two weeks, barring motion by a choose.

The legislation prohibits medical doctors from offering gender-affirming care to anybody beneath the age of 18, together with prescribing puberty blockers and hormones.

It permits medical doctors to carry out these medical companies if the affected person’s care had begun previous to July 1. However, that care should finish by March 31, 2024.

At least 19 different states have enacted legal guidelines proscribing or banning gender-affirming take care of minors, and federal judges have quickly blocked comparable bans in Alabama and Indiana, whereas completely blocking a ban in Arkansas. Three states have banned or restricted the care by rules or administrative orders.

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